Global Health Visions affirms its ongoing, unwavering support for access to abortion, a woman’s right to choose, and the fundamental need for a right to privacy, all of which are at risk in the United States. We staunchly believe in the right to bodily autonomy and reproductive choice. While the news of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s draft abortion opinion puts this right and other rights into question, it does not deter our commitment to supporting access to safe abortion and reproductive freedom for all people, regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, economic status, or any other distinguishing characteristic.
In the almost 50 years since abortion was made legal in the United States through Roe V. Wade, many conservative politicians have been actively working to block abortion access. While this push has been underway for some time, the Supreme Court signaling its openness to overturn Roe culminated in December 2021, with the Court agreeing to hear arguments from Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
If the Supreme Court overturns Roe V. Wade, a decision that is foreshadowed by the leak of the draft opinion, 26 states are expected to ban abortion, leaving 58% of women of reproductive age residing in states hostile to abortion rights.1 A 2021 study conservatively estimated that a national ban on abortion would lead to a 21% increase in pregnancy-related deaths annually by year two of the ban. For non- Hispanic black women, this rate rises to 33%.2 In a country where the maternal mortality rate is the highest in comparison to other developed countries,3 these figures are harrowing.
But we know that banning abortion does not stop pregnant people from terminating a pregnancy. It only stops safe and legal access to do so. We also know that abortion bans impact the most vulnerable communities, furthering the disparities in healthcare access that are impacting the lives of people of reproductive age across the country.
The struggle for bodily autonomy and reproductive choice is not new, but it is an issue that we must continue to commit our time, energy, and resources to – for the sake of women and all people of reproductive age in this country and beyond. We call on individuals and organizations to join us in practicing outspoken activism in their communities and to their elected officials and supporting grassroots networks, movements, and abortion funds that are working to secure reproductive freedom. We must unite to condemn laws that aim to restrict and limit freedom of choice. Abortion care is essential healthcare – full stop.
Looking for ways to support?
National Network of Abortion Funds/@AbortionFunds ACLU/@ACLU.
The Brigid Alliance/@BrigidAlliance Lilith Fund/@lilithfund
Sister Song/@SisterSong_WOC SPARK/@SPARKRJNOW
Yellowhammer Fund/@YellowFund
1 https://www.guttmacher.org/abortion-rights-supreme-court
2 https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2022/05/04/study-shows-an-abortion-ban-may-lead-to-a-21-increase-in-pregnancy-related-deaths/
3 https://www.ajmc.com/view/us-ranks-worst-in-maternal-care-mortality-compared-with-10-other-developed-nations
